Keep in mind that the other half of my statement that it did better here than Japan was because it really didn't do very well in Japan at all.

Here are Japanese sales for its second week (love how easy it is to get actual numbers for Japan). It's number 18 on that chart. I went with the second week because it also gives the total so far but it dropped off the charts after week 2. So it had sold a total of 29,471 units before falling off the charts, which is low even for a niche game like this.

I sometimes wonder if that sort of stuff may actually be more popular here, it's just that they charge so much more in Japan so they can make a nicer profit. Alternatively, we're MUCH more hungry on a whole for good console JRPGs and thus some people become desperate, whereas Japan largely moved to handhelds or something. I remember how people were freaking out here about DQIX being a DS game rather than a console title, whereas the reaction in Japan was WAY more about it being an action RPG and platform was irrelevant.

It's true, Japanese pricing can be really weird sometimes. Like games from small, indie developers costing more than the AAA titles. The justification being that the AAA titles can easily sell more copies, but maybe they smaller games could sell a bit better if they charged less for them...instead they just try to appeal more and more to a tiny super-hardcore niche that's looking for something very specific.

It's kind of a shame because the indie scene in Japan was traditionally more active than here in the west. Yeah it's always been there, but it was largely ignored here before the rise of digital distribution while in Japan there were (well, still are) cons and stuff dedicated to that sort of thing that gives people a natural distribution channel. I guess they also just benefit from a more geographically-concentrated population. But it's led to a very different indie culture.

With all due respect to the editor; I have a hunch this is just hyperbole brought on by an unfamiliarity with the subject material, also backed up with the fact that same Editor did not review AT3 (which is the penultimate example of sexualizing under aged characters) nor made any comments in the old AT3 thread which implied he even played it (thus has no point of reference).

This is also strikes me because he does cite 'exactly' what this so called sexualization is. AT3 you can clearly point it out.

-Most 'romantic/interactive' dialog with Reyvatiels are sexual double entendres specifically made to be as such, not by accident or misinterpretation.-The entire premise of the battle system is stripping characters clothing away; without having any real justification in game that won't make you go "Yeah, bull***."

The most the review says is 'allusions to'. Which is incredibly vague at best. Not only does the word 'allusion' imply said content is never explicitly presented (ala AT 3 style) but it also makes it sound like this is something the reviewer isn't even sure is sexualization to begin with and could just be him connecting the dots from 3-5 when he should really be going from 3-4.

Yes, I admit to being defensively nitpicky here. XD But with such huge loopholes in a single review; it shouldn't be enough to dissuade you from even looking at the game without more definitive proof. It's no better than a "Witch Hunt" mentality.

John McCarroll: "Hey, I think that girl is a witch because she made allusions to spells."Dice: "Who needs proof or confirmation? Burn her!"

:-P

Edit: I realize I missed the section about 'an enemy having a sexual obsession'. (I'll still leave the upper partition because odds are it's already been read and a healthy dose of egg on face will remind me to read more properly in the future). To which I say: "So?"

Umm...you mean a villain is being evil? Le gasp. :-P We praise and worship Kefka around here as one of the best villains because he was an unbridled genocidal maniac and somehow we're supposed to be up in arms this time because a designated evil individual is committing evil acts by the codes of society?

This enemy, quite literally licks these child characters during a cutscene, presented in a sexual way, and it's presented all as a big joke. It's sexual abuse of a character denoted as a minor and it is [b]NOT[/b] tasteful in the least. It's less about the fact that the evil character is doing an evil act, but that it's not treated as abhorrent by the other characters. They just move on and treat it like it's okay.

Zeron: it's just not the kind of game I wanna play... Sexual content in say Nier's Kaine was her just something juicy to look at... sexual content of having some sex-obsessed character or any other weird titillating jokes do nothing for me, and I just find it stupid to play a game with such pointless and weak potty humour.

I don't think it's any accident either that the artist made the girls from the first game in some tenticle/bondage scene blushing a bit... the fucking White Neptune broad has a wire in her mouth... I mean...come on!! õ_õ

Even if it's just alluded to, the bottom line from me is it ain't my style. Generally I find the humour in these kinds of title, as John said, "unfunny" at best. Worst of all is if it's trying to be funny.

(and yeah, I've watched gameplay videos online, I'm not saying this without have no exposure to the games)

This enemy, quite literally licks these child characters during a cutscene, presented in a sexual way, and it's presented all as a big joke. It's sexual abuse of a character denoted as a minor and it is [b]NOT[/b] tasteful in the least. It's less about the fact that the evil character is doing an evil act, but that it's not treated as abhorrent by the other characters. They just move on and treat it like it's okay.

Thanks for the clarification. ^_^

Ahh; I'm not sure that would really count as a spoiler though unless for some odd reason that's uber plot specific. I concede there is a point to be had for your average gamer but...eh; I'm jaded enough to say "That's it?" Japan's produced a lot worse than that, in their mainstream non-Hentei, non-Niche market over the past year alone. So I'm not sure for how much longer you can hold such a thing against 'any' Japanese product, be it a game, show, or book as the standards are apparently changing. I've come to pretty much surrender to the truth that if you want any Japanese entertainment product, you have to deal with such content; it's become futile to expect it not to exist in any of their media.

I would say that 'joke' (I use the term very loosely here as I'm in agreement that it's not in taste) is old as dirty but are we talking 'inhuman monster' or 'human/human-like' in terms of physical design? The first one is pretty much as old as dirty; the second...I can see the squick factor being higher.